Why did the Komodo dragon cross the road?

That might have been the first thought that popped into the minds of Indonesia's netizens when a photo of the oversized monitor lizard made the rounds on social media over the weekend.

The image shows a Komodo dragon facing off with a pair of nervous construction workers looking on from the top of their truck, which is mired in the mud, with many commenters saying it evokes the famous "Tank Man" photo from the Tiananmen Square protests in China in 1989.

The picture, posted with neither timestamp nor credit to a specific photographer, was first uploaded by Instagram user @gregoriusafioma and liked over 280,000 times, reaching critical mass on Instagram and Twitter.

The viral photo is thought to have been shot on Rinca Island in East Nusa Tenggara's Labuan Bajo regency, where the central government is currently building premium tourist facilities, which include, at the bare minimum, renovating the docks on the island's coastline, an elevated deck for Komodo dragon viewing, an information center, and an inn for visitors and island staff – all the makings of what some netizens are calling Indonesia's own Jurassic Park.

“That photo might actually be real because it looks to be part of the Komodo’s stomping ground, whereas the truck that is carrying construction materials just happens to be passing by,” said Wiratno, the Environment and Forestry Ministry's director general for natural resources and ecosystems.

The official was quick to point out, however, that the encounter was not necessarily dangerous for either lizard or man, as it was a common occurrence that park staff and construction workers were trained to anticipate.

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